Festival du Loup (705) 533-0003 leloup@csolve.net
Lafontaine
Ontario
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History of the Museum : In the village of Lafontaine, family, religion and the French language have always been of great importance to the members of the community. The evening family prayer, the spontaneous kitchen get-togethers, the traditions passed from one generation to the next have changed somewhat, but they have certainly not disappeared. Family roots are still vibrantly strong and healthy. A few senior citizens, fearing that their past way of life be forgotten by their grand-children, came up with the idea of opening a “museum”. The Club de l’âge d’or, that is the local senior’s group, formed a committee consisting of several residents. This committee’s mandate was to study the feasibility of setting up a museum for francophones, managed by francophones. Many months of discussion of research, of comparative studies seemed to indicate that a typical museum housing artefacts would most probably not be self-sustaining financially. Projects of a heritage and cultural nature seemed to be a better choice. During a public meeting, the community decided to celebrate their French heritage and culture by hosting a festival. This gave birth to Le Festival du Loup. During each Festival, the museum is set up at the parish hall of Église Sainte-Croix in the village of Lafontaine. Art exhibits, crafts, antiques, historical documents make up the physical aspect of the museum according to the theme chosen. Each year, three pioneer families are chosen to present the genealogy of their family. Photographs, documents, anecdotes are set up for viewing and for sharing. For 2010, the families being honoured are the descendants of pioneer families: Marchildon, Moreau, Tessier and Courtemanche. No, the area does not yet feature a building bearing the name “Museum”, but the past is vividly remembered and celebrated in the village of Lafontaine.
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